HOLYROOD AND ITS RESTORATION.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOIL"" Si,-My Society has bad its attention called to Mr. Samuel Cowan's letter on this subject, which appeared in your issue of November 21st. It seems difficult to believe that he eall have seen the weighty Report upon Ho]yrood Chapel by Professor Lethaby, which was published in the public Press. Professor Lethaby said:— " The walls and arches which remain are much decayed by the weather and disintegrated by the action of smoke deposits. Corrosion from the latter cause has been very great, and the surface is everywhere attacked and blackened. The carved capitals of the south arcade are mostly shapeless masses so far as the detail of the carving is concerned. At some time the pillars of the south arcade have been very largely patched with cement, across which joints have been neatly struck ; the pillars, consequently, seem to be in a far better state than they are in fact :—see especially the second and third pillars from the east, where some of the cement has fallen away. The triforium stage is in still worse a condition (although, like the whole ruin, very carefully kept so far as its state allows) ; the last three bays to the east are formless in respect to mouldings and details, most of the shafts being just kept in place by metal bands. Throughout, the string mouldings and bases are to a large extent broken and the shafts of the arcade and windows lost. Most of the existing work is in various degrees out of the vertical, and some parts seriously so; thus the south wall of the nave, containing the triforium, leans inward from the third pillar to the fifth (counting from the east) from 14 inches over the former to 11 inches over the latter. The west wall with the tower leans to the west 44 inches, and the tower also inclines to the north 7 inches. The external wall of the north aisle leans out 4 inches at the middle, the south aisle wall also leans outwards, and the east gable leans out 5 inches. I am of opinion that it would be impossible to restore the ruin for use as a modern chapel without the ancient architecture almost completely disappearing in the process. The present decayed and leaning wall of the nave should not be loaded with a new clerestory and roof, to say nothing of a stone vault. To take it down and rebuild it would be impossible ; so much would break up into powder in handling, so largo a proportion of decayed stone, especially about the joints, would have to be cut away, so much would have to be discarded when once out of place as too shapeless and unsound. I am of opinion that an attempt either to add to the ruin without rebuilding it, or to rebuild it, would be disastrous to it as a great historical monument, and I cannot but earnestly recommend that no such scheme be entered on. The parts now remaining are but a small portion of the complete nave; the form of the clerestory and west gable are unknown. The north door has decayed out of all definite form, the west front is greatly perished and has been largely patched up with cement. In the exquisite west door only about one quarter of the fine carving of the mouldings remains, and the carving of one of the four archorders has entirely dis- appeared."
I have seen the building myself within recent years, and am convinced that no man, no matter how learned or skilful, could convert the ruins into a useful building without practically the entire loss of what we so much admire in the ruins. Mr. Cowan seems to feel that Scotland is being treated in a way inferior to England. As a matter of fact, Scotland is
exceptionally fortunate in the fact that her ancient buildings have not been spoilt, as so many fine English buildings have
been, by "restoration." "Restoration" in England is fast becoming a thing of the past, and yet it seems that, as England is learning wisdom, Scotland desires to try the " restoration" experiment on her ancient buildings without learning from the misfortunes which have followed the craze in England.-1 am, Sir, &c.,
THACKERA.Y TURNER, Secretary,
Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings,
20 Buckingham Street, Adelphi, W.C.
[Having published a letter on each side, we must now close this correspondence. The question is most puzzling and difficult, and we cannot attempt to express any definite opinion thereon.—ED. Spectator.]
Previous page
